Bureau of Land Management to Conduct Prescribed Burns - Fort Meade Recreation Area & Englewood Area

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will continue two separate prescribed burns located at the Fort Meade Recreation Area and the in Englewood area near Sugarloaf Mountain.  Pending appropriate weather and seasonal conditions, burning will take approximately two to three days in the following locations:  

• Starting Friday, October 20 at the Fort Meade Recreation Area, 258 acres are planned for treatment.  The burn location will be ½ mile north of the Alkalai Creek Campground.  The prescribed burn will be highly visible from Interstate 90, South Dakota Highway 34, South Dakota Highway 79, and the city of Sturgis.  The BLM Horse Soldier Road will remain open.  Fire Managers are asking users to avoid stopping along this road while burning is taking place.

• On Saturday, October 21 and Sunday, October 22, plans are to conduct a 219 acre prescribed burn in the Englewood area near Lead.  The burn location will be east of the Powder House Pass Subdivision.  This prescribed burn will be highly visible from Lead, Deadwood, and South Dakota Highway 85. 

Prescribed burning is taking place to reduce hazardous fuels accumulations, maintain and enhance native plant species, and retain and expand key habitat for wildlife species.  Prescribed fire is a key component to protecting nearby private property and homes, and to aid fire suppression, tactics, and strategies in the event of an unplanned wildfire.

 Resources will stay on scene at both burn locations throughout the next several days to patrol and secure the fire perimeters until the prescribed burns are declared out.

Engines and personnel supporting the BLM in this burn include the Black Hills National Forest, State of South Dakota Wildland Fire, local VFDs, Rapid City Fire Department, and the Rapid City Fire Department Veterans Crew.

 For additional information on these prescribed burns, please contact Travis Lipp at 605-210-0741.

 

Fort Meade Recreation Area

Fort Meade Recreation Area

Black Hills National Forest to Postpone Prescribed Burn near Pringle, SD

Custer, S.D., Oct. 20, 2023 – The Hell Canyon Ranger District on the Black Hills National Forest has decided to postpone the Witch Prescribed Burn that was scheduled to start today.  After careful evaluation of weather patterns and fuel moisture, fire management personnel determined conditions did not meet the required criteria outlined in the prescribed fire burn plan.  

Careful planning goes into prescribed burns, which are used for long-term forest health.  Clearing built-up fuels and overgrowth is essential in mitigating the risk for large-scale wildfires in the future.  This will allow fire managers to continue to mitigate wildfire risk and create a healthier forest.

Each prescribed burn conducted by the Black Hills National Forest has a detailed burn plan developed well in advance that includes environmental analysis.  A burn plan specifies conditions and criteria that must be met prior to initiating the burn.  Safety is the primary focus when considering a prescribed burn and conditions.

“Every prescribed burn is closely coordinated with the weather forecast,” said Todd Hoover, Hell Canyon Fire Management Officer, “As forecasts change, we adjust our plans to accordingly to conduct a safe burn.”

Fire managers will continue to look for opportunities to conduct this prescribed burn in the future. 

Custer, S.D., Oct. 18, 2023 – The Hell Canyon Ranger District on the Black Hills National Forest is planning to conduct the Witch prescribed fire project October 20 and 21, 2023, weather dependent. The objectives of the prescribed burn are to enhance wildlife habitat and reduce fuel loads. 

The Witch project area is located approximately 3 miles southwest of Pringle, SD. We are asking forest visitors and hunters to avoid the area during this time. Smoke from the prescribed burn will be visible throughout the day of the burn and may linger for several days. Firefighters will be on site throughout the day of ignition and will periodically patrol the burn for several days afterward. If you see smoke from this burn, please refrain from calling 911.

Alternative funding sources were provided by grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Specific project objectives are focused on enhancing forage for big game wildlife, restoring open forest conditions dominated by ponderosa pine, and reducing fuel loading. Removal of encroaching trees from meadows helps maintain the native plants that grow in these areas and provides forage for wildlife. 

“These prescribed fire projects are designed to mimic the natural fire return interval and restore natural fire intensities,” said Todd Hoover, Hell Canyon Fire Management Officer, Black Hills National Forest.  “Reducing fuel loading will decrease future wildland fire intensity and severity, lowering the risk of negative impacts to ecosystems, cultural resources, and communities that can result from uncharacteristically severe wildfires.”

Prescribed fire specialists compare current and predicted environmental conditions to those outlined in burn plans before deciding whether to burn on a given day. Burn plans include 21 separate elements including Goals & Objectives, Prescription (weather and fire behavior), Holding plans, and Contingency planning. A prescribed burn will not be ignited unless the conditions meet the criteria described in the burn plan.

 For more information on the Black Hills National Forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhills.

 

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Bureau of Land Management to Conduct Prescribed Burn at Fort Meade Recreation Area

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning to conduct a 238 acre prescribed burn at the Fort Meade Recreation Area on Tuesday October 10, 2023, weather dependent.  The burn will be north of the National Cemetery on the west side of Interstate 90.  The prescribed burn will be highly visible from Interstate 90, the National Cemetery, and the city of Sturgis. 

 Prescribed burning is taking place to reduce hazardous fuels accumulations, maintain and enhance native plant species, and retain and expand key habitat for wildlife species.  Resources will be on scene throughout the next several days to patrol and secure the fire perimeter until the prescribed burn is declared out.

 Engines and personnel supporting the BLM in this burn include the USFS, State of South Dakota Wildland Fire, local VFDs, and Rapid City Fire Department Veterans Crew.

 For additional information on this prescribed burn, please contact Nathan Wiedow at 605-891-3804.

Black Hills National Forest to Conduct Prescribed Burn

Update for Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 4:15 PM

Ignitions were successful and objectives were met on the Anti-horse Prescribed Burn today.  Firefighters will continue to closely monitor the burn area until it is determined extinguished. Smoke will continue to be visible in the area for several days.  Ignitions are complete and additional burning will not take place tomorrow. 

Update for Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 9:00 AM

The Hell Canyon Ranger District successfully conducted a prescribed burn yesterday and will continue burning an estimated 1,600 acres today.  The project area is located approximately 18 miles west of Custer, SD or 2 miles northwest of Jewel Cave National Monument. 

Photo taken from Boles Canyon and Highway 16. Photo credit: Todd Hoover, Black Hills National Forest.

Photo credit: Todd Hoover, Black Hills National Forest

Photo credit: Todd Hoover, Black Hills National Forest

Photo credit: Todd Hoover, Black Hills National Forest

Custer, S.D., Oct. 6, 2023 – The Hell Canyon Ranger District on the Black Hills National Forest is planning to continue broadcast burning the Anti-horse prescribed fire project October 9-11, 2023, weather dependent. The purpose of the project is to reduce hazardous fuels on National Forest System (NFS) lands.

The Anti-horse project area is located approximately 18 miles west of Custer, SD or 2 miles northwest of Jewel Cave National Monument. The current unit includes Dead Horse Flats and Dead Horse Spring. We are asking forest visitors and hunters to avoid the area during this time. Smoke will be visible for several miles and poor visibility could impact Highway 16 west of Custer.

Crews have been preparing perimeter lines on this project for the past few years so fire equipment and personnel can safely implement the project to meet land management objectives. Reducing future fire intensity by consuming left over dead and down material from the Jasper fire in 2000 is a primary goal of the prescribed fire. “By removing these fuels, wildfires will not burn as aggressively in a treated area,” said Todd Hoover, Hell Canyon Fire Management Officer, Black Hills National Forest. “This gives firefighters increased suppression opportunities to safely and effectively engage a wildfire incident.”

Prescribed fire decreases surface fuel loading and is a key component to protecting nearby private property and homes, and to aid fire suppression, tactics, and strategies in the event of an unplanned wildland fire. Prescribed fire also encourages new growth in forage for wildlife and cattle, maintains many plant and animal species whose habitats depend on periodic fire, minimizes the spread of pest insects, removes unwanted species that threaten species native to an ecosystem and recycles nutrients back to the soil.

Prescribed fire specialists compare current and predicted environmental conditions to those outlined in burn plans before deciding whether to burn on a given day. Burn plans include 21 separate elements including Goals & Objectives, Prescription (weather and fire behavior), Holding plans, and Contingency planning. A prescribed burn will not be ignited unless the conditions meet the criteria described in the burn plan.

For more information on the Black Hills National Forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhills.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.